HELENA - The Made in Montana Tradeshow is back in Helena, bringing hundreds of Montana-made goods to the capital city.
A total of 113 vendors filled up the Lewis and Clark Country Fairgrounds Hall, eager to sell their goods.
Made in Montana program has been going on for 39 years, and the tradeshow itself, for 25 years.
The trade show has been a great platform for small businesses around Montana to get their story and their business out to the community.
"In 2022, our Made in Montana vendors saw over $129 million in sales from visitors to the state of Montana, so the economic impact for our Made in Montana program is huge. It's not just in Helena for the trade show, but across the state all year long," said Montana Department of Commerce Acting Deputy Director Mandy Rambo.
This year, the owner of 41 Grains, Kacie Sikveland from Circle, won Best in Show. She says the show is a great place to stand out from the crowd.
"Presentation is everything when you're trying to sell something to somebody on both sides of that spectrum, whether that's wholesale or retail, you have to have that presentation," said Sikveland.
This is Sikveland's second year at the trade show, and she shared some advice for other small businesses that are just starting out.
"I think just really knowing your product, having confidence in your product and showcasing it the best way possible. You know, we got Best of Show for our displays, but that's a lot of work in little things like really pay attention to what your customer wants and how they want to utilize it and work off of that and how you want to present it," said Sikveland.
